Rose in perfume is rarely the single-note florist shop version. At close range it is honeyed, spicy, lemony and slightly metallic, with a green leafiness that stops it from ever reading one-dimensional.
Two species supply almost all fine-fragrance rose. Rosa damascena (Damask rose), grown mainly in the Valley of Roses in Bulgaria and in Isparta, Turkey, yields a richer, spicier oil. Rosa centifolia (May rose) from Grasse in southern France is softer, honeyed and more tea-like. Petals are hand-picked at dawn and either steam-distilled to produce rose otto or solvent-extracted to make absolute. Roughly three tonnes of petals yield one kilogram of otto.
Rose is a heart note and one of perfumery's most flexible materials. It pairs with oud and saffron in Middle Eastern blends, with patchouli and vanilla in chypres and gourmands, and with citrus for lighter modern florals.
Rose performs across every season, reading crispest in spring and deepest in evening wear with warmer weather or layered wool.
